1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a compact zoom lens system for 35 mm size still cameras, which permits a varying zooming ratio up to 3.5.times. to 5.times., or magnification from a wide angle to a long focal length.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional type of zoom lens systems were generally so composed as to allocate individual lens groups with functions of their own, for example, composed of a lens group arranged on the frontmost position for focusing, a second lens group arranged at the next position for varying magnification, a third lens group for compensation, and a lens group arranged at the rearmost position for imaging. When it is attempted to obtain a zoom lens system having a wide magnification range covering the wide position by means of such a composition, aberrations can hardly be corrected favorably without enlarging said lens system. It is because the lens group for varying magnification must have a short focal length in order to design said lens system compactly, thereby making it difficult to correct aberrations favorably over the entire zooming range.
Recently, however, various moving modes have been attempted to enhance the zooming ratio for zoom lens systems, permitting varying focal lengths from the wide position to a long length without allocating the individual lens components with the functions as described above. FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 show conventionally known moving modes in a zoom lens system comprising positive, negative, positive, negative and positive lens groups. In these drawings, the magnification varying lens group (V) designates the one whose imaging magnification is increased in absolute terms when the focal length of the lens system varies toward the tele position, taking the wide position as a standard.
The lens system shown in FIG. 1 has the most ordinary type of composition among the conventional zoom lens systems described above, in which only the second lens component has the function of varying magnification, and the lens system is unavoidably enlarged when it is attempted to enhance its zooming ratio. The lens system shown in FIG. 2 is so designed as to give the magnification varying function to both the second and third lens group by establishing a certain definite relationship between focal lengths of these two lens groups, and therefore permits enhancing the magnification variation ratio. The zoom lens system illustrated in FIG. 3 comprises second, third and fourth lens groups having the function of varying magnification to permit enhancing the magnification variation ratio.
However, since the first lens group is fixed in the zoom lens system shown in FIG. 3, it must have a large diameter to allow a sufficient quantity of marginal rays to be incident at the wide position, thereby making it unavoidable to design it as a large lens system. The zoom lens system shown in FIG. 4 is so designed as to move its first and third lens groups as a unit for simplifying the mechanical construction for moving these groups, and can hardly result in enhancing the magnification variation ratio.